FRIEDBERG DIRECT   A Division of Friedberg Mercantile Group Ltd.

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COMPANY INFORMATION

CURRENCY TRADING

COMMODITY TRADING

TRADING PLATFORM

EDUCATION

COMPANY INFORMATION

CURRENCY TRADING

COMMODITY TRADING

TRADING PLATFORM

EDUCATION

 

 

New IDA Margin Requirements

 

Subject to change without notice.

 

Trading foreign exchange (FX) on margin can be risky, especially in fast moving markets. In accordance with Friedberg Direct Margin Policy, procedures have been implemented to protect you as well as to comply with relevant IDA regulations. Please take a few minutes to read through the policy and procedures, and don't hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.

Trading FX on margin with Friedberg Direct requires that each trading account have a sufficient cash balance (equity) to cover open positions at all times. Please see the tables below for Initial/Maintenance and Liquidation Margin Rates for USD-denominated accounts.

The Initial Margin Requirement is the amount in USD required to open a new position. This is calculated by applying the Initial Margin Rate, which varies according to the currency pair, to the gross principal value of the contract.*

The Maintenance Margin Requirement is the amount in USD required to maintain an open position and is equal to the Initial Margin Requirement.

*Margin Rate is a true percentage applied to the gross principal value of the contract. Please consult the section below titled Margin Examples for USD Accounts for illustrations.  

 

Initial/Maintenance and Liquidation Margin Rates for USD Denominated Accounts.

 

Currency pair Margin rate
AUD/CAD 4.50%
AUD/CHF 4.50%
AUD/JPY 4.50%
AUD/NZD 4.50%
AUD/USD 4.50%
CAD/CHF 3.00%
CAD/JPY 4.00%
CHF/JPY 4.00%
EUR/AUD 4.50%
EUR/CAD 3.00%
EUR/CHF 3.00%
EUR/DKK 10.00%
EUR/GBP 3.50%
EUR/JPY 4.00%
EUR/NOK 3.00%
EUR/NZD 4.00%
EUR/SEK 3.00%
EUR/USD 3.00%
GBP/AUD 4.50%
GBP/CAD 3.50%
GBP/CHF 3.50%
GBP/JPY 4.00%
GBP/NZD 4.00%
GBP/USD 3.50%
NZD/CAD 4.00%
NZD/CHF 4.00%
NZD/JPY 4.00%
NZD/USD 4.00%
SGD/JPY 10.00%
USD/CAD 3.00%
USD/CHF 3.00%
USD/DKK 10.00%
USD/HKD 10.00%
USD/JPY 4.00%
USD/NOK 3.00%
USD/SEK 3.00%
USD/SGD 10.00%


Last updated: November 19th, 2009

 

Future Friedberg Direct Margin Call Procedures

Important Notice: Margin Call Procedures will become available and automated on the Trade Station shortly. Notice will be posted on the site.

There are 3 settings in the “MC” (for Margin Call) column in the “Accounts” window on the trading platform:

  • “N” means there is sufficient Maintenance Margin
  • “W” means a Maintenance Margin Warning has been issued
  • “Y” means liquidation of positions due to insufficient margin

If the equity in an account fails to meet the Maintenance Margin Requirement, Friedberg Direct will issue a Maintenance Margin Warning. A “W” will show up on the “MC” column in the “Accounts” window of the trading platform and a “pop-up” message will appear in the “Messages” window.

1.       No new open positions will be allowed on the account until the Maintenance Margin Warning or “W” has been reset to “N” by Friedberg Direct.

2.       If a Maintenance Margin Warning persists, Friedberg Direct will issue a Maintenance Margin Warning e-mail to the account holder with details and a deadline for posting the required additional margin, which is to be determined at the discretion of Friedberg Direct.

3.       The Maintenance Margin Warning status will be reset by Friedberg Direct if the account equity meets or exceeds the Maintenance Margin Requirement.

Some or all open positions will be liquidated if one of the following events occurs:

1.       Where account equity falls to or below Liquidation Margin Requirement for all open positions, all open positions will be liquidated immediately, regardless of any previous Maintenance Margin Warning issued by e-mail, phone, or system messages.  At such time, no notices or additional warnings will be provided by Friedberg Direct.

2.       Where an account has not been sufficiently funded within the deadline set in a Maintenance Margin Warning e-mail; some or all open positions will be closed. At this time, no notices or additional warnings will be provided by Friedberg Direct.

Friedberg Direct will not be responsible for losses, lost profits, and other direct or indirect damages resulting from the closing of open positions due to insufficient margin.

Margin Examples for USD Accounts

The Initial Margin Requirement for opening a position in each currency pair is based on the Initial Margin Rate applied to the gross principal value of the contract, expressed in USD.

Once positions are opened, a minimum amount of equity called Maintenance Margin Requirement equal to the Initial Margin Requirement must be held in the account.

The Liquidation Margin Requirement of an open position in each currency pair is equal to 10% of the Maintenance Margin Requirement of that currency pair, expressed in USD.

For currency pairs where the USD is the primary or secondary currency, the value of the contract in USD is used to calculate the Initial Margin and Maintenance Margin required in USD.

For example, a long 100K position in USD/JPY @ 120.00:
Initial Margin Rate on USD/JPY = 3%
Value of contract in USD = 100,000
Initial/Maintenance Margin = USD 100,000 X 3% = USD 3,000
Liquidation Margin = USD 3,000 X 10% = USD 300

For example, a long 100K position in GBP/USD @ 1.9700:
Initial Margin Rate on GBP/USD = 3%
Value of contract in USD = 197,000
Initial/Maintaining Margin = USD 197,000 X 3% = USD 5,910
Liquidation Margin = USD 5,910 X 10% = USD 591

For currency pairs where the USD is neither the primary nor secondary currency, the value of the contract is converted to USD to calculate the Initial Margin and Maintenance Margin required in USD.

For example, a short 100K position in EUR/CHF @ 1.6300:
Initial Margin Rate on EUR/CHF = 6%
Value of contract in EUR = 100,000
Value of contract in CHF = 163,000
Value of contract converted to USD = EUR 100,000 @ 1.3400 EUR/USD = USD 134,000
Initial/Maintenance Margin = USD 134,000 X 6% = USD 8,040
Liquidation Margin = USD 8,040 X 10% = USD 804

Important Note on Funding Your Friedberg Direct Account

Friedberg Direct seeks to process funds as quickly as possible because we understand our customers’ need to apply funds to trading accounts expeditiously, especially in a fast moving market.  Please note, however, that Friedberg Direct does require at least one full business day to process funds.

If you are funding via international transfer, please make note that extra time is needed by the banks to clear such payments (it may take 3-5 business days and is wholly out of the control of Friedberg Direct).

Additional Disclosures

Transactions in foreign exchange carry a high degree of risk. The amount of Initial Margin is small relative to the value of the foreign exchange contract so that transactions are "leveraged" or geared. A relatively small market movement will have a proportionately larger impact on the funds you have deposited or will have to deposit; this may work against you as well as for you. You may sustain a total loss of initial margin funds and any additional funds deposited with the firm to maintain your position.

Friedberg Direct Margin Policy and/or the policies of those banks/clearing houses through which trades are executed may require that additional funds be provided to properly margin your account and that you are obligated to immediately meet such margin requirements, including Initial Margin, Maintenance Margin and Liquidation Margin. It is your responsibility to monitor your account to ensure that there is sufficient margin at all times. Once your account equity falls below Maintenance Margin, Friedberg Direct will issue a Margin Warning via a pop-up on the trading platform and, if necessary, a follow-up e-mail to request additional margin. In the event of failure to comply with the request for funds within the time prescribed, Friedberg Direct in its sole discretion will close any or all open positions with any resultant loss for your account. Upon a breach of Liquidation Margin, Friedberg Direct will attempt, on a best-effort basis, to prevent a debit balance in your account by liquidating all open positions at prevailing market rates. However, you may be liable for losses that exceed the amount of the posted margin. Friedberg Direct will not be responsible for any losses, lost profits, and other direct or indirect damages resulting from the closing of positions due to insufficient margin. Friedberg Direct also reserves the right to refuse to accept any order or guarantee a market in which to offset.

Friedberg Direct reserves the right to alter or change the above provisions and guidelines, which include the Initial Margin, Maintenance Margin, Liquidation Margin, and the FX margin policy and procedures.  For any changes made to the provisions and guidelines, Friedberg Direct will post a notice on the website www.friedbergdirect.ca or through e-mail notification.